All Steel articles – Page 6
-
Article
Show and tell
Cost savings and reduced installation time are the result of Profil’s self-piercing stud, as visitors discovered at the NEAA Expo 2018A new earthing stud is allowing automotive global OEMs to achieve the triple benefits of reduced installation time and cost, guaranteed electrical earthing and a substantial reduction in parts count: ...
-
Article
A clean winner
Coherent-ROFIN’s Frank Gäbler explains a new approach to laser welding problematic materials Fig 1. Hairpin welded with CleanWeld technology: excellent weld quality, low spatter and low porosity Although fibre lasers are widely utilised in the automotive industry, there are still some applications that ...
-
Article
Pressing matters
ABB robots are helping IndiKar make advanced high-tech steel for special protection vehiclesOur vehicles have all faced hazards at one time or another, from potholes in the road to rocks or broken glass. But what about protection when the hazards are ballistic threats to the safety of civil servants or ...
-
Article
- 亚洲其他经济体
作为一个充满活力和快速增长的制造业中心,东南亚的汽车行业正在电池和混合动力汽车产量的增长中寻找进一步发展机会 More on Asia Unease in the East China charges ahead Asia Pacific 2017东南亚汽车生产主要由两个国家主导,即泰国(每年约200万辆)和印尼(110万辆)。马来西亚有一个中等规模的生产国(50万辆一年),菲律宾产量较小(15万辆一年)。越南是这个集团的最后一个成员。在该地区生产的绝大多数汽车是由日本汽车公司的全资或附属公司生产,或由一些欧洲公司的组装公司生产,主要是宝马,奔驰和大众。只有在马来西亚才有本国汽车公司,但宝腾(Proton)目前由中国吉利集团(Geely group)持有49.9%的股份,另一家Perodua 公司由大发(Daihatsu)持有部分股份,因此严重依赖大发/丰田的技术。以下内容介绍了各国汽车制造业最近的主要发展。泰国泰国一直是日本汽车公司1吨皮卡的主要生产中心,尤其是三菱Triton/L200、丰田Hilux、五十铃D-Max和马自达b系列。日产目前在西班牙、阿根廷、墨西哥和南非也在生产Navara。此外,泰国制造的汽车种类也在扩大。在即将推出的新车型中,将有一款本土版的丰田C-HR紧凑型跨界车,该车型迄今为止已在日本和土耳其生产。日产(Nissan)和本田(Honda)也在泰国进行电池和混合动力汽车的多元化生产。日产将在邦骚辛区开设一家工厂,利用其ePower技术生产混合动力车,包括在当地生产电池。本田在大城府(Ayutthaya)和普拉钦布里(Prachin Buri)的工厂也将采取同样的做法。日产将在新工厂投资约100万泰铢(合3.18亿美元),本田计划将其中的一半投在新工厂。本田的Prachin Buri工厂据说是其技术最先进的工厂之一,它采用了一种可移动的电池结构,本田称之为组装革命电池(Assembly Revolution cell, ARC)生产线。这是传统生产线和组装单元的混合,工人在组装单元中有一系列的任务要完成,而不是在传统生产线上只执行每个阶段特定的单一标准任务。本田公司声称,这种安排的效率提高了约10%。比传统的线快)。系统的核心是将正确的部件直接交付到每个装配位置,从而节省工人在生产线旁的部件箱中寻找正确部件的时间;在这个系统中,工人也更加多才多艺,能够在整个工厂执行一系列任务,提高了生产力和灵活性。这家工厂的年产量高达12万辆(略高于本田在华42万辆总产能的四分之一)。这个新工厂生产的主要车型是思域轿车。另一家日本汽车制造商马自达(Mazda)在发动机加工技术上投入巨资,扩大了在泰国的动力总成生产。约220亿泰铢将用于SkyActiv柴油和汽油发动机的机头和机座的新加工生产线,这些发动机在当地和马自达在该地区其他地方的组装作业中都使用。这使得发动机的年产量从3万辆增加到10万辆,增加了两倍。这些发动机中约有30%是出口的。该国制造的变速箱中约有80%是出口的。从2019年起,宝马将在泰国生产PHEV电池,用于该国制造的少量宝马汽车。这家汽车制造商在泰国的产量将很快上升,X5将在泰国由美国生产,然后作为CBU车型运往中国。这将使宝马能够避免在中国对美国制造的汽车征收关税。根据这一安排,预计泰国将生产至多2万辆x5。奔驰采取与宝马类似的策略后,将投资约1亿欧元(合1.13亿美元),生产混合动力电池,用于C,E,S和GLE汽车装配。多年来,日本一直是泰国的主要生产商,而欧洲高端品牌在一段时间内的组装量也很低,但中国企业在泰国正变得越来越活跃。例如,在2017年底,上汽集团在泰国开设了第二家工厂,目前在泰国生产的MG品牌车型已超过10万辆,主要面向该地区的多个右手驱动市场,也有少量车型出口回英国。印度尼西亚这是最大的区域市场和生产地点之一,出口比率强劲上升。例如,三菱从贝卡西工厂向菲律宾出口Xpander紧凑型MPV, 2018年的目标出口量为3万辆。该国还将向泰国(2018年为6000辆)和越南(2018年为1000辆)出口。该车型还将于2019年出口到中东和整个非洲,其中3至5万辆将用于东盟市场以外的出口。本财年Xpander总产量应达到12万台,明年将增至15万台。在总投资达到40亿日元(3,400万美元)之后,目前最大产能为16万辆每年。发动机来自尼桑在印尼的一家工厂,在当地的含量占80%。丰田还在印尼扩展业务,目前主要是通过旗下子公司大发(Daihatsu)在印尼的子公司阿斯特拉(Astra)。生产力也在加大,足以生产Rush SUV,该车冠以Daihatsu Terio品牌。对菲律宾的出口热潮已经开始,未来几年,更多市场将接受这个车型。丰田在印尼有5家工厂,都在雅加达附近;卡拉旺的两家汽车厂,同时在卡拉旺还有一家汽油发动机厂。Sunter有两家工厂及一家生产汽油发动机,一家生产冲压件和铸件。其他在印尼生产的车型包括丰田Sigra,据称其本地含量高达94%。还有两款车,Dahatsu Ayla和丰田Agya(尺寸与欧洲Aygo相似),也是由Astra Daihatsu生产的。除了日本扩大在印尼的产量外,中国企业也在印尼进行了投资,五菱在2017年投资7亿美元开设了一家工厂,DFSK汽车(DFSK Motors)目前投资1.5亿美元新建了一家工厂。本田在该国有一家大型工厂,在西爪哇省卡拉旺的两家工厂生产7款车型,年生产能力总计20万辆。产品包括Mobilio、BR-V、HR-V、Jazz (Fit)、Brio RS、Brio Satya和CR-V。该工厂也是本田整个网络的一个关键零部件供应点,零部件将运往本田在东盟其他地区的工厂,以及印度、巴基斯坦、拉丁美洲和日本。本田在印尼生产的车型在当地的市场占有率也达到87%。不断扩大的汽车制造业也在提振日本的零部件行业,尤其是日本大型企业的本土业务。一个很好的例子是克拉卡托钢铁公司(Krakatau Nippon steel Sumikin,一家日资印尼合资企业)。该公司于2018年8月在爪哇省西北部的西莱贡(Cilegon)开设了一家价值3亿美元的工厂;初期年生产能力为12万吨耐腐蚀、高强度钢,全面投产后预计达到48万吨/年。马来西亚这里的主要生产商是Perodua(严重依赖大发和丰田技术)和宝腾(Proton),吉利目前持有宝腾49.9%的股份。吉利的瑞典子公司沃尔沃(Volvo)多年来一直在中国拥有一个小规模的装配厂,目前正在扩大规模。值得注意的是,这将包括一些与马来西亚组装的s90的出口工作,这些s90将出口到台湾。计划向印尼、菲律宾、台湾、越南和缅甸进一步出口。产量很低,2018年将生产4000辆左右,2019年将增至6000辆。这些都是全散件,从欧洲进口,目前的装配范围包括V40, S60/V60, XC60, XC90和S90。宝腾的业务正处于一个十字路口,面临着高昂的本地采购成本带来的经济挑战。宝腾告诉供应商,当地的价格比国际市场上的价格高出30%。除了面临高于理想的采购成本之外,产量也有所下降,当地产量从几年前的20万辆降至2017年的不到7万辆。今年秋天,沙阿拉姆工厂即将关闭,生产将于2019年转移至丹戎马里姆,此前该工厂投资12亿林吉特。在吉利的领导下,宝腾现在的任务是到2023年将年产量提高到20万辆,10年后提高到40万辆,其中一半用于出口,不过实际的出口市场尚未确定。宝腾还将继续生产吉利的车型,首批车型将是最初将进口的博越SUV (Boyue SUV),然后从2019年开始在丹戎马里组装。宝腾还将成为吉利旗下所有右驾驶车型的生产中心,以及宝腾SUV X70。这款车将作为吉利在中国生产的CBU车型投产,将于2019年年中在马来西亚投产。最初它的本地成分为30%。此外,作为吉利更广泛扩张计划的一部分,Proton品牌工厂预计将在中国投产。 宝腾最初是作为一家国有汽车公司发展起来的,尽管政府希望成为一家国有汽车公司的冠军,但宝腾自身的发展还不够,没有吉利的支持,它的未来将充满疑问。另一家全国性公司Perodua也已出现,但该公司32%的股权由海外投资者持有。仅凭马来西亚市场和国内投资者的力量,还不足以让一家成熟的汽车公司发展成为具有全球竞争力的独立模式。Perodua专注于小型车,年产量约20万辆。有了这个产品焦点,它与大发的联系是明智的,而且是合乎逻辑的。此外,丰田于2016年5月在马来西亚开设了一家工厂,初始产能为5万辆每年。目前这一比例正在翻倍,并将从2019年底开始生产电动汽车。此前,该公司已投资4.89亿美元,最初的设施将分配给ICE动力商用汽车。在过渡期间,Yaris将进行全散件装配生产。宝马在该国也有少量的组装业务,生产Mini 5门掀盖和Mini Countryman、330e、530e、X5 xDrive40e和740Le,较小的车型使用当地组装的发动机。这是一个小规模的项目,历史上的产能限制在每年1万辆左右,但预计未来几年至少会翻一番。其中一些Mini车是按地区出口的,包括泰国。其他德国公司,尤其是梅赛德斯和大众,也在马来西亚组装。梅赛德斯生产12种不同的车型,而大众生产帕萨特(Passat)和Vento轿车,所有这些都是CKD部件菲律宾这里的主要生产商是丰田(Toyota)、三菱(Mitsubishi)和日产(Nissan),丰田已于2018年开始生产Vios紧凑型轿车,这一车型的本地采购大幅增加。这符合中国政府扩大零部件制造的政策。第一个Vios在2003年以全散件进口到菲律宾,2007年开始在拉古纳的Santa Rosa生产。该厂还生产紧凑型MPV Innova。生产分为大约3.3万辆Vios和2万多辆Innovas。该国的其他制造商包括三菱的Mirage和L300,日产的Almera、Navara和Urvan汽车。第六条道路下一个可能扩大产能的东南亚市场是陷入困境的缅甸。日产(Nissan)和铃木(Suzuki)已在仰光开设了小型工厂。此前,日本修改了相关规定,允许海外企业在仰光设立自己的工厂。在缅甸,特别是在仰光生产汽车的好处之一是,在那里生产的汽车将获得一个价值极高的停车许可证,没有这个许可证,拥有汽车的好处就值得怀疑。越南越南有望成为该地区最新增长最快的生产基地之一。这里有一些国际公司,比如福特。该公司全散件装配较低产量的Fiesta、EcoSport和Transit,但公司认为Vinfast更有兴趣而且意义长远。这家新成立的内资公司(已接管了通用汽车在河内的前工厂)在2018年巴黎车展上推出了两款新车型——一款四门轿车和一款五门SUV。在大卫贝克汉姆(David Beckham)的支持下,新车型由一个经验丰富的欧洲高管团队开发,严重依赖获得宝马(BMW)授权的技术,以及ABB、麦格纳斯塔尔(Magna Steyr)和西门子(Siemens)的技术贡献。Vinfast车型将于2019年第三季度在海峰的一家全新工厂投产,初始产量为50,000辆每年。新车型的尺寸和价格远远高于大多数越南消费者的承受能力水平,Vinfast最初将主要瞄准出口市场。
-
Article
A high-performance build
The Audi R8 series of sports cars is described as being closer to motor racing than any other on-the-road vehicles. Mike Farish takes a closer look at the manufacturing operation The latest versions of both the Coupe and Spyder convertible variants of the R8 are made at Audi Sport’s Böllinger ...
-
Article
Steel wars
Bridges are being burnt in today’s automotive industry. Political decisions are having a significant impact on the price of vehicles, the way in which they are sold, and where they are made. One factor that could soon play a key role is the trade war between the US and the ...
-
Article
Passing the test
As modern vehicles become more sophisticated, production testing technologies and processes need to keep up. Mike Farish looks at developments with both carmakers and tier suppliers
-
Article
A focus on fibres
Lightweight, high-strength benefits are being offset by materials and process costs. James Bakewell looks at the challenges of making carbon fibre cost effective Used for the first time in earnest by Volvo, carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) will feature in the £135,000 ($176,400) Polestar 1’s bonnet, boot lid, side panels, doors ...
-
Article
Sticking together
The use of a wide variety of materials throws-up significant production challenges and chief among those is joining. How can this plethora of materials be fixed together without affecting their structural integrity or their individual characteristics? The automotive industry is mostly set-up for resistance spot welding (RSW). This method has ...
-
Article
Drive for efficiency
How can tier suppliers deliver a fast and efficient project? According to SSAB a close partnership with a material supplier and early involvement is the key to success Today, the competition in the automotive industry is driving the need for efficiency more than ever. As a result, OEMs are ...
-
Article
Cool calculations - rapid welding
Advanced rapid welding technology is helping to surpass challenges in series production at Voestalpine Fronius has recently added the successful CMT welding process to the company’s most modern power source, the TPS/i. The second generation of the “cold arc” allows robotic welding in many applications with unprecedented levels of quality, ...
-
Article
Weld the right result
Welding zinc coated steels presents a variety of challenges. Lincoln Electric’s Global Industry Segment Director for Transportation Tim Hurley explores the solutions As engineers and designers respond to the need to decrease vehicle weight while maintaining or improving crash worthiness, automotive manufacturers are using more high strength steels in ...
-
Article
Clean and tidy
Coherent-ROFIN’s Frank Gäbler describes how the CleanWeld process can garner greater results in fibre laser welding While automotive manufacturers have successfully employed fibre lasers in metal welding for over a decade, efforts still continue to improve their utility and extend the results they deliver in terms of part ...
-
Article
Getting beneath the skin
Specialists in automotive interiors have long been at the sharp end of sustainability issue. Gareth Price looks at the controls and techniques that are helping IAC Group improve process control and lower energy consumption Ever since environmental impact became a hot topic for discussion and action within the automotive manufacturing ...
-
Article
Power from plastics
James Bakewell speaks to thermoset plastics specialists Pieter Vanderstraeten and Hendrik De Keyser about the increasing scope for composite powertrain components While the use of advanced composites in structural applications has hogged the limelight in recent years, these lightweight materials also have many advantages for the manufacture of components for ...
-
Webinar
ArcelorMittal S-in motion® Chassis solutions
The webinar will explore some examples of best-in-class steel grades for chassis applications and cover ArcelorMittal’s S-in motion® Chassis study which identifies potential savings in mass of up to 20%. As part of the study, specific assessments have been conducted on formability, weldability, and fatigue. The study ...
-
Article
Ford automates hot-forming process
Germany - Ford has integrated a automated hot-forming line at its Saarlouis plant, which is located two hours south west of Frankfurt, where it makes the Focus. The company says it is the first time this process has been automated.It works by subjecting boron steel to temperatures of up to ...
-
Article
Opportunity 4.0
Nick Gibbs travels to Barcelona to discover how Gestamp’s own digital revolution is driving efficiency improvements in its energy-hungry hot-stamping operations When your company has expanded to more than 100 production plants, you want to keep a close watch on the production lines in those plants. Especially when you require ...
-
Webinar
How can 3rd generation steel be a problem solver?
SSAB recently launched its metal-coated Docol 600DH and Docol 800DH steel for trials. These are 3rd generation steels that provide improved formability and good weldability. This webinar discusses the 3rd generation steel product development at SSAB and ask what solutions these materials can deliver in high volume ...
-
Article
Saint-Gobain white paper: Stop corrosion before it starts
Corrosion is a key challenge automotive manufacturers face; and door hinges are most at risk. Learn how you can stop corrosion and red rust from affecting door hinges in this free white paper by Saint-Gobain Rain, salt water and other extreme weather conditions test all parts of the automotive exterior. ...